


Snowed in

by noellehenry



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Birthday Dinner, Christmas, M/M, Romance, Snowed In, Winter, looking for shelter, lots of snow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-22
Updated: 2014-12-22
Packaged: 2018-03-01 21:56:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2789120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noellehenry/pseuds/noellehenry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So it may not have been his brightest idea leaving home to travel back to Manchester when the weather forecast predicts a snow-storm. But, hey, he was not going to miss all the parties his friends were planning during the Christmas holidays. He stares through the window, the sky is dark grey, almost black, the wind howling and blowing big snowflakes against the bus. The driver is guiding the bus slowly through thick layers of snow on the road, carefully as not to slip. He's not the only one on the bus, there's another guy on the bus, braving the weather conditions, just like he is.</p>
<p>All Louis wants is a place to spend the night and move on, fate has different plans though.</p>
<p>Or how Louis ends up in Harry's basement.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Snowed in

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little winter tale for the Christmas holidays. Here's the [tumblr post](https://noellehenryfics.tumblr.com/post/171102965511/snowed-in-by-noellehenry-rating-mature-archive)  
> for the fic.

 

 

 

So it may not have been his brightest idea leaving home to travel back to Manchester when the weather forecast predicts a snow-storm. But, hey, he was not going to miss all the parties his friends were planning during the Christmas holidays. He stares through the window, the sky is dark grey, almost black, the wind howling and blowing big snowflakes against the bus. The driver is guiding the bus slowly through thick layers of snow on the road, carefully as not to slip. He's not the only one on the bus, there's another guy on the bus, braving the weather conditions, just like he is.

The bus holds at a bus stop and the guy makes his way to the door. He pulls his hat over his ears and his scarf over his mouth and grins at Louis. "Hope you'll make it to your destination!" he says and hops off. Hmm, that sounded like an Irish accent to Louis. The bus isn't moving, instead Louis can hear the tyres spinning in the snow. After a few attempts the driver informs him. 

"Sorry lad, looks like Holmes Chapel is your destination for today. I'm not going to make it to Manchester." He sighs and gets up. 

"Ok, I understand. I'll find somewhere to stay overnight. How are you going to get back?" he asks the driver. 

"No worries, lad. I'll be fine. There's an inn just down the road, you might want to try that." Louis thanks him and jumps off the bus. As soon as he's outside, he wishes he had stayed home in Doncaster. It's horrible outside! The wind is blowing big flakes, he can hardly see a thing. His beanie is almost covering his eyes and his scarf is pulled over his nose. Hands in the pockets of his jacket, his bag hanging from his shoulder as he makes his way to the village. He definitely should have chosen better shoes to wear. His feet are cold and wet in minutes as he moves slowly, the wind blowing in his face. 

He tries to keep a steady pace, his eyes focussing on the church in the distance, hoping it is in the centre of the village, like most churches are. He has no idea how long it's taken him to reach the red brick building, but it feels like hours. To the right is a place called Old Red Lion. Looks nice, hope it's not too expensive, he mutters to himself. Inside he's greeted with a

"Hello lad, can I get you something?” 

"Tea, please" he answers and a warm place to spend the night, he thinks. 

"Here ya go, love" the woman brings him his tea. "Ghastly weather, isn't it? You're not from here, are you?" she asks. 

"No, I'm on my way to Manchester, that was until the bus service stopped suddenly, so I'm kind of stuck here. Would you happen to know a place where I could spend the night?" he asks. 

"Sorry love, can't help you there. I know the hotel is fully booked, most other accommodations are closed in winter time." Louis sighs. 

"Thanks anyway." He pays for his tea and leaves. Great! No place to stay then. He walks further into the village, the wind is still cold, but at least it's not snowing anymore. His feet are still cold as ice, almost numb. He's going through his options in his mind. Try a B&B and hope they'll take him, sneak into the church and stay overnight, or.... sneak into a house where there's an open window to what probably is the basement! Brilliant! He looks up at the house. Red bricks, white painted front-door, no lights on, no car in front of the house. Looks like no one's home. He walks towards the open window on the side of the house. Turns his head around to see if someone is watching him, but there's nobody outside, well not surprisingly anyway. He crouches, clears the snow from the window and looks inside. Perfect! It's a basement alright. He opens the window a bit further and wiggles his small frame through the open space. It's only a small jump to the floor. He sees a chair in the far corner of the basement, picks it up and places it in front of the window..... just in case he needs to escape fast. His bag is still outside, he stands on the chair and takes the bag in. 

Sometime later he hears the front door opening and girl's voice yelling. "Harry, are you in?!!" Louis hears footsteps on the stairs above him and a low voice answering: 

"Yes, I'm here. Sorry, must have fallen asleep. I kept dinner for you in the oven." FUCK! There was someone in the house all the time! Louis feels his legs trembling. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all, what if they needed something from the basement? It's not like he really has a place to hide in there. There's a pillar on the left where he could hide if necessary, but still... He hears the couple walking to, what probably is, the kitchen. He sits down on the old sofa that is kept in the basement and sighs. His jacket, shoes and socks are left to dry in front of the small radiator next to the sofa. The basement is rather comfy. Although he's glad he found somewhere nice and warm, there's still that little voice inside that keeps reminding him that he's entered a house without permission. He can already picture himself being arrested and spending the holidays in prison instead of partying with his friends. He's going to leave tomorrow morning when it's still dark. 

"Gemma! Your phone!" is the first thing Louis hears when he wakes up. 

"Oh right, thanks little brother!" he hears the girl's voice answering. "I'm off now, see you in two weeks! Don't burn the house down!" the girl teases her little brother. 

"Pfff, I'm not a child anymore, I'm 20, remember? Student and all that?" the little brother with his low voice answers his sister. "Tell mum and Robin I said hi and have fun skiing!" he adds and then closes the door. "Yesss!" the little brother screams. Louis chuckles, someone's happy to have the house to himself, he thinks. He hears a car leaving outside. Wonder what time it is, he thinks. He gets out his phone and...... Oh geez, it's already noon! His stomach is screaming "FOOD!” He muddles through his bag and finds a sandwich; not fresh, but hey, it's edible. He's got another problem, he really needs to wee and has to find out if the bus service is back on schedule. 

He stands on the chair to check on the weather outside. Holy crap! He's trapped more or less; the window won't open, snow has been piling up against it. Shit! He jumps from the chair. FUCK! He shouldn't have done that. I wonder if the guy upstairs heard it, he thinks. Just a couple of minutes later he hears the front door open and close. Good! This might be his chance to leave the house and maybe use the bathroom? He really needs to wee! He climbs the steps up to the door leading to the corridor. No lock.... good! He carefully opens the door and steps into the corridor. It's rather small. He turns to the door on the left and opens it. Found the loo! A couple of seconds later when he's about to open the door of the toilet, he hears the front door again. FUCK, so soon? He hears the guy mumble something about trying to find his wallet and again a "Yesss!"'  when he locates it before he rushes out again. Louis sighs in relief; that was close!  He really needs to go before he actually gets caught. He picks up his bag and walks to the front door. He opens it slowly, looks to the right, then to the left before opening the door just enough to slip through it. "Thanks house for letting me spend the night here." he chuckles as he closes the door softly behind him and walks away. 

He doesn't see the boy whose eyes almost pop when he sees Louis leaving his parent's house.....

 

"Niall, I swear... this guy just walks out of our front door and even thanks the house for letting him spend the night! I'm not lying! He must have been there all night and me and Gemma didn't even know there was someone else in the house!" Harry's cheeks are red from agitation as he tells his Irish friend Niall what he saw earlier. 

"Uhm Harry, just a question... why didn't you go after him?" Niall asks him. 

"Oh well, guess I didn't think of that." Harry admits sheepishly. 

"Oh Styles, you're something... really. You didn't think of confronting the guy?" Niall laughs. Harry's cheeks are burning up even more as he shakes his head. "Well, what did he look like?" Niall leans back in his chair, feet on the table, waiting for Harry's description. 

"Well, he wore a denim jacket and a maroon beanie and scarf? He was definitely smaller than me." 

"Who isn't “Niall snorts. "Pants? Assuming he wore them? “Harry’s cheeks just won't turn back to normal as the shade of red has now become dark red. 

"Niall! He wore black jeans, tight jeans as in ... really really tight jeans, showing off his bum." He immediately clasps a hand over his mouth, how embarrassing! Niall is laughing out loud. 

"Mate, I really wonder why you didn't go after him, sounds like your type..... hold on.... denim jacket, maroon beanie? Think I might have seen him on the bus last night. You know the one that got stuck at the bus stop? Guess he didn't make it to his destination then. “Niall says. 

"But what was he doing at my house? I mean, surely he could have taken a room at a B&B or something?" Niall shrugs. 

Louis checks his phone as he enjoys his tea and sandwich and sighs. No bus service nor train service until further notice. So he basically is stuck in this village with no rooms to rent. He's been inquiring at several places, but no such luck. The village is pretty; Christmas lights, a huge Christmas tree in front of the church. He's going to have to make a plan. It's too cold to spend a night outside. Although he's usually cheeky enough, he's not cheeky enough to ask random strangers if he can spend the night at their place. Maybe he could go back to the house? Shove the snow aside and try to open the window again... at least he knows there's only one person in the house, only one person to hide from. In that case he's going to need something to eat while in that basement. He decides to shop at the Co-op. 

He hears a familiar voice in the next lane, arguing with another familiar voice. The lad with the Irish accent and little brother Harry. Geez, just his luck. The Irish lad saw him on the bus. Louis takes off his scarf and beanie and puts them away in his bag, takes out his glasses and puts them on. He sees both guys walking to the cash register. The Irish lad is wearing the same jacket and scarf as yesterday, but..... WOW! Little brother Harry is not so little. He's tall, very... tall! Legs that go on forever, covered in super tight jeans. Chocolate brown curls almost touching his shoulders. Too bad he can't see their faces. Looks like they're going to party seeing the contents of their shopping cart. Let's hope it's at the Irish lad's place, Louis thinks.  

It takes a few tugs to open the basement window with his hands. He sneaks in just in time before he hears the front door.

"Let's put this in the kitchen first and I'll fix us a quick meal." he hears Harry say.

 

"Ah, that's my boy!" the Irish boy answers. Louis hears them walking through the corridor to the kitchen. He could use a hot meal himself, it’s been two days since his last dinner. He sighs and picks out the sandwiches he bought from the Co-op. Sometime later he hears Christmas songs coming from a speaker and the boys singing along. 

"Come on Niall, let's dance!" Harry shouts. Soon Louis hears them going through the house singing to Mariah Carey's All I want for Christmas. 

"You're going to dislocate your hip if you keep dancing like that Styles." Niall screams. Louis chuckles. So Harry loves to dance, he thinks. 

"Oh Niall, check the basement for Christmas ornaments, they should be in a box on a shelf somewhere." He hears Harry say and panics. He grabs his bag and hides behind the pillar. Niall opens the door and walks down the steps towards the shelves. Louis hardly dares to breath. The Irish boy is only a few steps away from him. He sniffs and yells. 

"Hey Harry, do you keep eggs in here? It certainly smells like it! “So it was a bad choice of sandwich Louis thinks, he could have known. Harry comes down to the basement and Louis freezes behind the pillar. He's never seen such a pretty boy. Big eyes, full lips, curls framing his face. Louis almost lets out a sigh. Harry smiles at Niall. 

"Are you sure you didn't fart, Horan? Maybe that is what you smell. “Louis bites his lip to keep from laughing. Harry is only a few steps away from him. He can now see the beautiful green eyes and the cute dimples in Harry's cheeks as he smiles. Harry reaches out to the top shelf to grab a box, giving Louis a view of soft skin where his shirt ride's up. Louis swallows and thinks the world is punishing him for entering the house of the most gorgeous guy in the world and... he can't make a move on him. Life sucks! 

The boys leave the basement and Louis walks back to the sofa, taking his phone out, no signal. Ugh! He closes his eyes and soon he's asleep. He wakes up when he hears loud music coming from the speakers. The party is here! Great! There's a party... and he is not invited. He puts his bag behind the pillar, just in case.... The front door keeps opening and closing, he wonders how many guests they're having. 

"Hey Harry man, glad you're throwing a party, now that we're all stuck in the village."  Malik?! Louis thinks. So his roommate from uni is here. Damn!  This really sucks. On the other hand.....of course, Holmes Chapel.... Perrie! If Zayn is staying in the village, it means he's probably staying at Perrie's. That might be the solution to his shelter problem. If he could just get a message to him. He thinks quickly and decides to go for it. Puts on a fresh shirt and pants, brushes his teeth using toothpaste and snow from the other side of the window, puts his bag and jacket behind the pillar and that's when the door opens. He hides behind the pillar.... again. He hears two voices. One of them being a girl who's giggling. Soon Louis hears noises coming from the sofa, he really doesn't need to hear. He covers his ears. Shit! He thinks and hopes they're finished soon. After what feels like hours to him, the couple leaves the basement. He sighs and waits a while before walking up the steps. He takes a deep breath and opens the door. He sees two girls on the left whispering to one another. He walks towards what he assumes is the living room and walks in. 

"Tomlinson?" he hears a voice from the right.

 "Hi Zayn, just the person I want to see." Louis smiles at his roommate as if it's perfectly normal that he's at the party.

 "I didn't know you knew Harry or Niall." Zayn says. 

"I don't, if anyone asks: I'm here with you!" Louis grins as he sees the confusion growing on Zayn's face. 

"Is it weird I'm confused?" he asks Louis. 

"Nope, I'll tell you all about it later. Just, please, cooperate will you? Also, do you think I could stay with you and Perrie at her place, just until I can catch a bus to Manchester?” 

Zayn is totally confused, but he nods and says "Don't think that will be a problem, but you do owe me an explanation, Tommo!” 

"Hey Zayn, enjoying yourself?" the Irish lad walks up to him and Louis hopes he doesn't recognize him. "Who's your friend?" he asks when he sees Louis. 

"Hi Niall, having a great time, thanks. This here is Louis Tomlinson, my roommate at uni. He's stuck here in Holmes Chapel because there's no bus service at the moment." Zayn answers innocently. Louis loves him! He reaches out to shake Niall's hand. 

"Nice to meet you Niall, great party!" he smiles at the Irish lad. 

"Weren't you on the same bus as me the other night?" he asks Louis. Shit! So he did recognize him. 

"Uhm, yeah, the one that got stuck at the bus stop." he says confidently, not quite sure if he needs to explain more. Niall grins and yells. 

"Harry, come here a minute! There's someone I want you to meet!” 

Harry makes his way to them. Niall wraps an arm around his shoulder and says

"I want you to meet Zayn's roommate, Louis Tomlinson. Louis, this is Harry Styles, he lives here."

Something in Niall's voice alerts Louis. He narrows his eyes when he looks at the Irish guy, but he seems perfectly innocent. Harry smiles at him and.... OH! Louis feels his heart skipping a beat. The boy is beautiful. Harry reaches his hand out to Louis. Louis shakes it, his hand almost disappears in the big hand of the boy. 

"Hi" he almost whispers. 

"Hi" Harry says a bit shy. "Uhm, you like the party?” he adds still holding Louis' hand. 

"Yeah.... yeah it's great.” Louis says quickly, a bit unsure and very aware that his hand is still in Harry's. Zayn and Niall are grinning at each other. Harry finally let's go and excuses himself, Niall is following Harry. 

"Well, well... that was interesting.” Zayn smirks. 

"Oh shut it! So, the guy is attractive and I'm only human, not to mention very single." Louis glares at Zayn. 

Zayn takes Louis by the arm and says "Come on, let's find Perrie, she'll be happy to see you." 

"Well, was it the guy you saw leaving your house?" Niall asks Harry once they're in the kitchen. Harry looks confused. 

"You mean Louis?" he says slowly. 

"Yes, you idiot, I mean Louis!" Niall shakes his head. 

"I don't know, I only looked at his beautiful blue eyes." Harry beams. 

"Oh mate, you're hopeless! Anyway, he didn't steal anything, I hope. Did you check?" Niall inquires. Harry is looking confused. 

"No, should I?" Niall throws his arms in the air and mutters "You are definitely hopeless!” 

Louis is looking around, there must be about 40 people at the party. It's not a bad party. Enough to drink, the food is good (well he would have eaten anything by now.) The music is okay, lots of Christmas songs. Zayn has been introducing him to some of his friends so he doesn't feel so alone. He's in the kitchen getting something to drink, when he hears a low voice behind him.

"Still enjoying yourself?" Louis looks up and sees Harry standing behind him, very close behind him. 

He turns around and mumbles.

 "Yeah." God, since when did he become lost for words? It's not like him at all. Harry leans in to grab a beer from the counter top behind Louis. He can feel Harry's breath in his neck and his upper body touching his'. His heart is pounding, he hopes Harry won't be able to hear. 

"So you're a friend of Zayn?" Harry asks still not moving away from Louis. Louis takes a breath and answers as best as he can. 

“Yeah, we're both studying drama and we're sharing a room. You?” 

"I'm studying English literature in Manchester." 

"Oh, really? How come I've never seen you, since you know Zayn?" Good, he's making casual conversation here, Louis knew he could do it, gorgeous guy or not. 

"Oh, he didn't tell you?  I've been in LA for 6 months, just returned a few weeks ago. Going back to uni after the holidays." Harry explains, his eyes fixed on Louis. "So you're staying at Perrie’s?" he asks Louis. 

Louis feels his cheeks burning up "Yeah, yeah, until the bus service runs again. I was on my way to Manchester." 

"How odd, they only arrived today by car, Zayn said" Harry's gaze was still on him and fuck.... something wasn't right here. He needed to get out of here. 

"It was nice talking to you, going back to the party, if you don't mind." he said and quickly moved out of the kitchen. 

"Liam?" Louis bumps into someone in his haste to escape the kitchen. 

"Louis?" They both stare at each other. "What are you doing here?" Liam asks him raising his eyebrows. 

"Long story, tell you later... have you met Zayn yet?" Louis changes subject before Liam starts interrogating him, he's quite good at that! 

"You mean Zayn's here too?” Liam sounds surprised. 

"Uhm yeah, he's a friend of Harry’s?" Louis informs him. 

"Ah, I see. Niall's friend. “Liam nods. 

"Come on, let's go find Zayn... and Perrie." 

Most people are gone. Louis sneaks into the basement to grab his things and sneaks out again to join Zayn and Perrie. When he's outside he realizes they left.... without him. He sighs, back to the basement, again. The window is still open, good! He wiggles, again through it and steps down the chair.  As soon as he's in, the window is closed from outside and someone is putting something heavy in front of it. Louis knows he's in deep trouble, he's been caught. He tries the door to the corridor, but it won't open, as if something heavy is leaning against it. He panics, he's trapped.

He yells "Please, let me out, I can explain!" repeats it again and again, but nobody is answering. He slumps down against the door, he’s tired.... so tired. Why would they do that? Why didn't they just confront him? Niall and Harry must have known somehow that he's been in the house. Why were they so cruel? He even liked them. He crawls to the sofa and heaves himself on to it. Soft sobs are leaving his throat, his face is getting wet from tears that fall from his eyes. After a while he falls asleep.  

Harry wakes up to Rockin' around the Christmas tree and his phone lights up. He opens one eye and grabs it.

"Niall, don't tell me you're awake already... " he mutters in his phone. 

"It's almost noon, mate! I didn't drink that much last night. Just checking on you. Was Louis mad?" Niall's voice is too loud in Harry's ears.  

"Wait, what do you mean?" he feels like he's missing something. 

"Louis? Geez, Harry remember last night?" Niall laughs. 

"Sorry, no I can't say I do. What about Louis?" Harry is trying hard to remember anything from the night before, he must have been quite pissed, because he doesn't recall much. 

"We locked him in the basement? I closed the window and you moved the chest in front of the door to the basement?" Harry clasps a hand on his mouth and gasps. 

"Oh fuck Niall, I forgot all about that. He must still be in there, oh my God! What did we do?” 

"Harry will you please go down, like now! I'll be at your house in a few minutes.... poor bloke!" Harry jumps off the bed, his heart and his head are pounding. He runs downstairs and sees the chest still in front of the door. He uses his bodyweight to move the chest and opens the door carefully, not sure what to expect. He sees Louis lying on the sofa, his legs curled up, and his arms hugging himself. Harry slowly approaches him. Louis is asleep. Harry can see the trail of dried tears on his cheeks and swallows, almost crying himself. He, Harry, did this to him, he feels awful. He places a hand on Louis' shoulder. 

"Louis, wake up, please. I'm so sorry.... please forgive me...." Louis slowly open his eyes and startles when he sees a curly mess in front of him. 

"Don't hurt me, please...” he whispers, not sure why Harry's there and if he's mad. Harry swallows hard. 

"Oh Louis, no, I’m not going to hurt you. I'm so so very sorry, I locked you in." Louis sits up cautiously, still unsure what to expect. "Please come with me to the kitchen, I'll make you breakfast and then we'll talk. Niall will be here in a minute." Harry says as he runs a hand through his unruly curls. He reaches his other hand out to Louis, who hesitantly puts his hand in Harry's. Harry pulls him off the sofa and leads him out of the basement to the kitchen. 

Then the doorbell rings. "I'm just going to get that, it's probably Niall. Please take a seat." Harry walks off to the front door and opens it. It's Niall alright, he barges in just shaking his head as he looks at Harry. 

"Where is he?" he asks. 

"In the kitchen, just... be careful, I think he's really scared, Niall. Fuck! Why was this a good plan, again?" Harry answers, his face sad. They walk to the kitchen. Louis is fumbling with his shirt and glances at them before looking down again. 

"Louis, mate. We're so sorry about this. This wasn't supposed to happen." Niall says softly. Louis just looks up, but doesn't say a word. He doesn't know what to say, really. Harry comes up to him and wraps his arms around him and hugs him tight. "We're truly sorry, you have no idea just how sorry I am." he whispers in Louis' ear. 

Louis sniffs and mumbles "I was so scared." 

"Don't be. I'm going to make you breakfast, what do you want? Eggs? Pancakes? “Harry asks. 

"Eggs, please and could I have some tea please?” 

"Tea coming up, mate!" Niall smiles. 

They eat breakfast together, in silence. Louis is nervous, very nervous, as he's clearing his throat.

"So, uhm..." he coughs "I guess you want to know why I was in the basement?" Both Niall and Harry nod. "Well, uhm it starts when the bus got stuck at the bus stop...."  Louis tells them about his unsuccessful attempts to find a place to spend the night and how he ended up in Harry's basement. He looks down again, hoping they're not too mad at him. Harry walks around the table and wraps his arms around him. 

"I'm so sorry to hear you had nowhere to stay, and I'm happy we were stupid enough to leave a window open, so you had a warm place to stay. I only wished you had asked me if you could spend the night here last night at the party after we met. I would have let you stay, you know?" He says as he draws soothing circles on Louis' back. Louis sighs and lets his head rest against Harry's chest... it feels nice. 

"I was going to go with Zayn and Perrie, but they kind of .... forgot me? And since I had no plan, the only thing I could think of was the basement." Niall shakes his head. 

"Sorry to hear that, man. You know, Harry almost freaked out when he saw you leaving his house the other day." Louis' head snaps up and he looks at Harry as he whispers. 

“Y-you saw me?" Harry looks at him, his hand still on Louis' back. 

"I did, I heard you ... uhm talking to the house?" he says biting his lip. Louis groans as he puts his hands over his face. 

"How embarrassing! You must have thought I was mental. Leaving your house and talking to it!" Harry chuckles, a bit unsure. Niall just laughs. Louis peeks through his hands before he removes them and joins them in their laughter.  

They clear the table. Louis rings Zayn. After what sounds like a thousand apologies from Zayn in Niall's and Harry's ears, Zayn explains there's a bit of a problem. There's more snow to come and Perrie's grandparents can't return to their home in time, so Perrie's parents' place is full. Could he stay with Harry? Louis sighs and looks at Harry as he pouts. Harry's looking back at him, raising his eyebrows. 

"Uhm, slight problem. Perrie's grandparents have to stay over, place is packed at Edwards'. Can I stay here, Zayn asks? Reportedly there's going to be more snow today." 

"Yeah, sure! And you're not staying in the basement this time!" Harry smiles. He actually smiles, Louis thinks. 

"Zayn, it's okay. Yeah, yeah I'll hug him for you. See you soon!" Before he can turn his phone off, Harry's standing right in front of him and grinning. "What?'' Louis says. 

"I hear I get a hug, so... hug me!"  Louis bursts out in laughter. 

"Come here, you! " as he wraps his arms around Harry's waist and hugs him. Harry's humming and to be honest, Louis likes hugging Harry. When they pull back Louis just stares at him. "You’re something, you know." Harry's smile is the answer and it comes with dimples. Louis thinks he's never seen a prettier boy than Harry. He has to resist the urge to kiss him. No need to jeopardize his just acquired shelter. 

They clean the party mess while they sing along to the Christmas songs on the radio. They have fun together, Niall is hilarious. Louis hasn't had so much fun in a long time. After the great clean up, they sit down in the kitchen drinking tea when the snow is coming down again in big flakes.

"Guys, I’m gonna go home while I still can, you two be alright?” Niall asks. 

"Yeah, we're fine. Thanks for helping clean up the place. “Harry hugs Niall. Louis hugs him too. 

"Thanks Niall, cleaning was never so fun before." he says. Niall grins as he leaves the house.

"You wanna move your things from the basement to the spare room now?' Harry asks when Niall is gone. 

"Yes please and... uhm could I take a shower, I feel really dirty." Louis replies. 

"Yeah sure, I'll get you some towels." 

They watch the news while eating dinner. Harry's a great chef, Louis compliments him. Harry beams. Looks like it's going to be a bad night: heavy snow, wind.

"Harry, thanks for letting me stay. You didn't have to, I mean... you could have reported me to the police, after all I was intruding." Louis looks at Harry, his face serious. Harry stares at him. 

"Louis, you're welcome to stay. You explained why you did what you did. You didn't have bad intentions, you were just ... unlucky. Besides, it's fun to have someone around and I like you, okay?” 

Louis blushes. "Thanks." 

That night Louis wakes up from a loud noise outside, as if something is collapsing. He jumps out of bed, he's cold. He peeks through the window and sees the shed of the next door neighbour, or what is left of it. He sighs, the basement was a lot warmer. He walks downstairs and sees a light in the kitchen. "Harry?” 

"Hi, you also woke up from the noise next door?" Harry asks him. 

Louis nods "That and I'm cold." His body is shivering as if it confirms what he just said. 

"Oh, guess the radiator still hasn't been repaired then.” Harry hands Louis a cup of tea. "Hope this helps a bit." Louis smiles at him and drinks it. 

"Well, I guess it's back to bed then. “Louis says as he sets down the cup and walks up the stairs. Harry is following him. On the landing Louis looks at Harry. "Well, goodnight again and thanks for the tea." He's really not looking forward to the cold room again. Before he can walk away Harry's hand is on his shoulder.

"Do you want to .... uhm share with me? My room is warm." Louis notices the blush on Harry's cheeks. Louis nods and follows Harry to his room. Harry climbs in bed, Louis hesitates. 

"Are you sure Harry? I mean, it's not weird is it? " 

"Not unless you think it's weird." Harry responds. Louis climbs on to the bed and lies down next to Harry. The bed is small and Louis is very aware of the body next to him, all warm, almost inviting. He really has to restrain himself from touching Harry, there's nothing he wants more than feel Harry's body on his, touching and kissing. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.  

The next morning he wakes up all warm and fuzzy, it´s still dark outside. Harry is still sleeping, his arm wrapped around Louis' waist. Curls are tickling Louis' cheek. He feels perfect and carefully plants a kiss on Harry's nose.

Harry smiles "What did I do to deserve that kiss?" He slowly opens his eyes and looks at Louis. 

"Sorry, just felt like doing that." Louis says, not feeling sorry at all. 

"You like kissing guys? `Harry wants to know. Louis decides to be open about it. 

`Only cute guys. ‘He says with a soft smile. Harry giggles, he actually giggles! 

"So you think I'm cute?” 

"Very!" Louis confirms.   

"You're cute too. Now go back to sleep, it's too early to get up." Harry answers and kisses Louis' cheek. Louis smiles and presses closer to Harry. He drifts off again. When he wakes up, the bed is empty and he hears noises coming from downstairs. He hauls himself out of bed and walks downstairs. 

"Hey sleepy head, want some breakfast?” Harry greets him. Louis peeks over Harry's shoulder. 

"Love to, what are you making?” 

"Pancakes!" Harry smiles. 

Louis loves him "My favourite!” 

"Grab a plate and sit down, they're ready in a minute." Louis sighs. 

"You're amazing, you know that?” he says with his chin in his hands, leaning on the breakfast table. Harry just smiles. 

"Where did you want it?" They just got the tree inside. 

"Let's put it in the corner next to the fireplace!" Harry says excitedly. Louis shakes his head. 

"You're a child!" he grins. Harry beams at him. "Next to the fireplace it is." They fall down on the couch after they've completed the task, giving each other a high five and laughing. 

"The ornaments are in a box in the kitchen." Harry jumps up and gets it. 

"Yeah, I've seen that box before." Louis smirks. Harry looks at him, not understanding. "I was in the basement when you and Niall were looking for it on the shelf." Harry's mouth falls open. 

"You were there? But where...? “He says, closing his mouth. 

"Behind the pillar, I was just inches away from you." Louis glances at him. 

"That's creepy!" Harry exclaims, faking annoyance.  

An hour later the ornaments are in the tree and Harry is busy in the kitchen preparing dinner. "Louis, could you please set the table? For 6 people please? ` He shouts from the kitchen. Louis is confused. 

`Are we having guests over for dinner?" he asks while he does what Harry asked. 

"Yeah, just our friends, that's all." Harry replies. Louis doesn't ask. 

They sit down at the table; Harry invited Niall, Zayn, Perrie and Liam. Louis likes it. "Okay everyone, on three: one, two, three!" Harry says. Their friends all stand up and raise their glasses. 

"Happy birthday Louis !" Louis clasps his hand over his mouth. FUCK, it's his birthday and he totally forgot! Zayn chuckles as he says. 

“Looks like someone forgot about his own birthday. " Louis blushes and confirms.

"I totally did !" 

"Well, it's a good thing you have Zayn as your friend then." Niall grins. "He texted us and Harry came up with the dinner plan." 

“Thanks guys, I really appreciate this." 

"We have some pretty original gifts for ya!" Niall grins and hands Louis' his gift. 

Louis grins "It's a gift voucher to get pissed at the Irish pub near campus on Niall's expense." Louis gives him a high five. 

Liam says" It was a bit short notice, but I hope you like it." Louis unwraps the gift.

"That's great Liam, thanks! Looking forward to it. Tickets to a Manchester United match."

Zayn and Perrie made a gift card: a multi ticket card for various domestic chores he hates doing, they'll do for him when he hands in the ticket. He rolls his eyes and everyone is laughing. Finally it's Harry's turn, his cheeks are red when he hands Louis the card. Louis reads it: there are two options. The first one is more or less an invitation for a one nightstand. Louis almost chokes. The second option is dinner for two with Harry at a restaurant of Louis' choice. 

"Well, come on what does it say?" Niall wants to know. Louis sees Harry's face panicking. 

"Harry here has given me an invitation for dinner at a restaurant of my choice." he says, not looking at Harry. 

"Awww, that's sweet of you Harry." Perrie says while she pats his arm. 

After dinner and a lot of laughs and talk, everyone's leaving. Zayn says to Louis "We're going to Manchester by car tomorrow, do you wanna come with us?” 

"Sounds great, yeah, if I can?” 

"Ok, we'll pick you up around 2 pm." Louis smiles. Zayn looks behind him. They hear the door to the living room shut. "Looks like Harry doesn't like you're leaving." Zayn says pointing his head towards the shut door. 

"Zayn, can I talk to you for a sec?”Louis asks him nervously. 

"Sure man, what's up?" Zayn feels the tension that has come over Louis. Louis shows Zayn the card Harry gave him. "Oh...OH! Uhm, how do you feel about the first option." he asks carefully. 

`He´s attractive, normally I wouldn´t hesitate after an invitation like that, but ... uhm. I like him a lot, I don´t want a one night stand with him, I´d like more. Is that weird?" Louis looks at Zayn, hoping for some advice. 

"Louis, if you feel that way about him, why don't you tell him? Let him know you're interested in more than a one night stand? That's all the advice I can give you. Harry is a sweetheart. He deserves someone who cares about him. Whatever you decide... don't hurt him, be careful." Zayn hugs Louis and leaves. Louis closes the door and sighs heavily. The lights are out, Harry obviously has gone to bed. Louis walks to the spare room and braves the temperature in there. He's exhausted and falls asleep immediately. 

The next morning he puts all his things in his bag before going downstairs. Harry's sitting at the breakfast table texting someone. He looks up and says shyly "Hi, Merry Christmas to you. There's some eggs, if you want?” 

"Great, thanks. And merry Christmas to you too!" Louis smiles at him. He sits down opposite Harry. 

"So ... uhm, you're leaving today then?" Harry barely looks up when he asks. 

Louis clears his throat and says "Yeah, yeah Zayn and Perrie will give me ride to Manchester. What are your plans for today?” 

"Don't know, really. Didn't make plans, probably watch some silly Christmas movies and get an early night." Harry shrugs. “It’s good you finally can go to Manchester and party like you planned." Harry tries to sound convincing, but Louis can see the tears in his eyes. He looks sad and lost. Louis gets up and walks to the other side of the table. 

He takes Harry's hand and whispers "Come here.” Harry looks up at him, the tears have started falling from his eyes over his cheeks. He gets up and Louis pulls him in for a hug. "Don't cry, love. ‘is all he says and Harry does the exact opposite. Louis is drawing circles on Harry´s back, to calm him down. After a few minutes the sobs stop and Louis hands him a Kleenex from the box that is within reach. 

"I´m s-sorry, didn't mean to cry." Harry says still sniffing. 

"Harry, will you tell me what this is all about? Is it because I'm leaving?" Louis tilts Harry's head with his index finger. 

"Partly...” Harry says still wiping tears away. 

"Is it about the card?" Louis looks him straight in the eye. Harry's cheeks turn red as he nods and looks down at his feet. Louis sighs and says "We need to talk, let's go to the living room... come on."  

Harry sits down and Louis sits next to him, holding Harry's hands. "Look Harry... about the card. Normally I would not hesitate if I got an invitation like that from a gorgeous guy, but I can't... not with you." he pauses, but Harry cuts in. 

"I thought you wanted me after you told me I was cute, I'm sorry I misunderstood. It's really embarrassing... you know, I was convinced you liked me too. “And the tears come running down again. 

"Harry, Harry... please listen to me. Don't cry. “Harry runs his sleeve over his eyes. 

"Sorry, sorry..." he whispers. Louis cups his head and looks at him. 

"What I meant is, I like you way too much. I don't want a one night stand with you, because I want more. I want a date, spend time together, have fun, getting to know you better.... and sex, well yeah that too. Do you understand?" Harry's face lights up when he whispers 

"You mean, you want us to date, like ... become boyfriends ?" Louis smiles at Harry's disbelief. 

"Yes silly, why is that so hard to believe ? You're great, amazing, fun and attractive, what more could I want? Unless you prefer a one night stand.... “Louis holds his breath, what if Harry only wants the one time. 

"No, NO! I want us to date.... geez, that's all I've been thinking about, but I never get so lucky. It usually is over after the first date. I never thought I had a real chance with you. “Harry sighs and then he feels soft lips on his lips. The kiss is sweet and it removes the tension between them. Louis leans his forehead against Harry's and asks a bit breathless 

"Do you want me to stay?” 

"Yes, very much so!" Harry kisses Louis' nose.

"Alright, I'm staying. Going to cancel my ride." Louis winks at Harry. "Zayn.... listen, I'm going to cancel my ride. I think I'm trapped in this house forever, there's this really cute guy living here and well.... I can't very well leave him on his own. “Harry’s giggling. Zayn is laughing too. 

"I guess you two talked, huh. Well, give Harry my love and we'll see you once classes start. Have fun together and ... Merry Christmas!” 

Louis throws his phone aside and tells Harry "I'm all yours now..."  

 


End file.
